The Washington Spirit secured a 2-0 victory over the Portland Thorns, with Gift Monday and Croix Bethune finding the back of the net, propelling the Spirit to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) championship game. This win sets up the Spirit for their second consecutive NWSL final in San Jose, California next weekend, where they will await the winner of the upcoming match between Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride.

Having reached the championship game, this marks the fourth appearance for the Spirit in the league’s history. The Spirit had a shot at the title last season but were defeated 1-0 by the Pride.

The opening goal for the Spirit was initiated by a counterattack following a corner kick from the Thorns in the 27th minute. Rosemonde Kouassi made an impressive 80-yard sprint before assisting Monday, who scored from close range to put the Spirit ahead 1-0. This season, Kouassi has assisted Monday six times, with the duo showcasing their synergy in the playoffs for the second consecutive game.

Despite Thorns goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold making six saves, including two remarkable back-to-back stops in the 56th and 57th minutes, the Spirit managed to double their lead. Sofia Cantore missed a chance to extend the lead in the 69th minute, hitting the post with the best opportunity of the second half. However, Bethune secured the victory in the 83rd minute with a composed finish after evading Arnold and slotting the ball into the empty net.

Trinity Rodman, a U.S. women’s national team forward, made a comeback from a knee injury in the 90th minute, replacing Cantore. Rodman came close to scoring in stoppage time of the second half but narrowly missed the target with a low strike from inside the box.

The semifinal match took place at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., in front of a capacity crowd of 19,365 fans. This marks the second consecutive year the Spirit hosted an NWSL Playoff semifinal, with the team enjoying their fourth consecutive sell-out playoff game.